


A Nice Man

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 19:49:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16125506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: On her seventeenth birthday, the Baroness meets a nice man.





	A Nice Man

The Silverglades were quite an illustrious family on Jorvik. As such, every year, they put on a wonderful party for their only daughter, one Annabelle Silverglade. Talk among the countryside was that she was set to inherit the Silverglade family name, title of Baroness, and the grand estate and land that the Silverglade family owned. And all without marrying a wealthy man. Some of the women were jealous of her, others pitied her for being able to live her whole life without love.

But, though everyone gathered at the castle (where the party took place, of course, you couldn't just have a massive castle and not use it, after all) to gossip and congratulate the young lady on her birthday and give her their best birthday wishes, the guest of honour didn't want to stay inside with everyone else. Yes, it was a wonderful castle, and yes she was proud of it. But what she was more proud of was the land that she was set to inherit someday. And so, she didn't feel guilty at all as she stepped out onto the balcony to overlook the lands that she would someday call her own.

"It truly is a beautiful place that you have here, Miss Silverglade," said a new voice as footsteps sounded behind her. Annabelle looked, and was surprised to see a tall, well-dressed young gentleman standing beside her. He held a glass of her family's finest wine in his hand, his long fingers cupping the bowl of the glass. Annabelle picked up a glass of her own from a passing waiter. If this were another suitor, well, she would need the drink to either throw in his face or to get her through this conversation.

"Thank you," said Annabelle. "Everyone seems to think so. And I agree."

"Truly, I have not seen anywhere else on Jorvik with grape fields as great and expansive as yours," said the stranger. The rather handsome stranger, Annabelle noted as she glanced at him. Her heart fluttered and she sipped at her drink, hoping that he would mistake the blush in her cheeks as one brought on by the alcohol. This was most improper, to be so flustered by a simple, handsome man. No matter how tall he was, or how he spoke.

"Thank you," said Annabelle once she'd managed to find her tongue. She noticed, with alarm, that she'd drained half the glass in her efforts to find something to say. "And who might you be?"

"Ah, my apologies," said the man. "I am Mr John Sandman. Charmed to meet you." He held his hand out, palm upturned, and Annabelle placed her own hand into his so that their palms touched. John gently raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, causing Annabelle's heart to flip over in her chest.

"And I, you," said Annabelle. "I assume that you know who I am?"

 

"Why, of course I do," said John. "You are one Miss Annabelle Silverglade, heir to the Silverglade family fortune. And prettier than any rose in your manor's gardens."

"Oh, stop," said Annabelle with a titter, her cheeks aflame. Yes, he was flirting with her and obviously interested in wooing her, but Annabelle found that, for once, she didn't mind. She would happily let this man woo her, flirt with her, do anything that he wanted to do to her. With her. She gave a subtle shake of her head, dismissing those impure thoughts. The movement, however, almost caused her to stumble, but John caught her.

"Are you alright, miss?" asked John, looking at her with concern. His brown eyes were so dark, and Annabelle knew that others might call his face beaky or birdlike. But all she could see was fathomless depths that she wanted to fall into.

"Yes, I... I think that I need some fresh air," said the Baroness. "Er, fresher, I mean."

"Would you perhaps like me to escort you around your property's gardens?" asked John, his gentle hands holding her up. Annabelle nodded, placing her hand in his once more. But only for a moment, lest others see and begin to talk. Not that they wouldn't also talk when they saw her walking around the gardens with a strange man.

"That would be most wonderful," said Annabelle, taking her hand away as the two of them made their way back into the room, down the two sets of stairs, and then out of the castle. Despite having already been outside before on the balcony, Annabelle felt as though a great weight had lifted from her shoulders once she'd stepped outside into the open air, with solid ground beneath her feet. Part of her wanted to take her shoes off and walk barefoot across her family's lawns, but she darent. That would be more improper than even going for a stroll with John.

"So, madam Silverglade, which part of your property would you like us to tour?" asked John. "We could take a stroll through the grape fields, if that would be suitable."

"Oh, yes, that would be very nice," said Annabelle. "Come, I can tell you all about the history of my family's grape fields." Everyone wanted to hear about that, after all, how much wine they produced, the quality of said wine, how much money they made, what they did in order to produce such high-quality grapes. Nobody yet had asked them how they got the purple pigment in their clothing, though, even in the dress that Annabelle wore. The secret of that was that they used their fine grapes to dye the fabric, resulting in a rich purple hue. It also had the most pleasant side-effect of smelling of grapes.

"While that would make for most interesting conversation, I would much rather talk about you," said John. Annabelle's eyes widened in shock as she turned to look at the man, hoping that she wasn't gaping in an unattractive manner.

"Me?" asked Annabelle, touching her hand to her chest. "Are you certain?"

"Yes," said John, nodding and taking her hands in his. "I would get to know the lady who has so swiftly stolen my heart."

"Oh my," said Annabelle, feeling an intense happiness race through her. This was all happening so quickly, so soon. It was as though he'd cast a spell on her, not that she believed in any of that nonsense, of course.

"Though, perhaps you should know a little more about me," said John. Annabelle nodded, allowing him to continue. "I am, as I said, John Sandman, the head of Dark Core, a mining company here in Jorvik."

"Oh, I have heard about that company," said Annabelle, recognition dawning on her. Why was the head of a mining company interested in her? Surely, he was wealthy enough that he didn't need to work hard at all to make women want him or to have any woman he wanted. So he wasn't after her money. What a delightful discovery.

"Of course," said John with a chuckle. "Most people have, just as most people have heard about your family. I must confess, I was pleasantly surprised to receive an invitation to your birthday party."

"It was mostly my parents' idea," said Annabelle. "I do not know even half of these people. Though, of course, I should know them. I probably own their land, after all, or I will someday."

"It is wise to know the people whom you rule," said John. "Or oversee, rather."

"Yes, it is," said Annabelle. Her wine glass was empty, so she made her way over to one of the many kegs of wine that were set up in the vineyards. The wooden barrel smelled so pleasantly of wine. A part of her wanted to plant flowers in them someday, though that wouldn't fit the white aesthetic of the manor. Perhaps they would be more fitting to have in the basement, or elsewhere. It was definitely something to ponder.

"Miss Annabelle," said John, and Annabelle turned to see him standing before her with his glass of wine raised. "A toast to you, on your birthday. May you have a pleasant day, and many more pleasant birthdays to come in the future."

"To my birthday," Annabelle agreed, clinking their glasses together. They drank, already feeling the tugs of something deeper in their souls.

A few days after her birthday, Annabelle had the pleasure of meeting John again. He met her in the gardens, which they hadn't ended up making it to on that first walk together. They had instead stayed in the vineyard, chatting about life in Silverglade. John didn't want to bore her with talk of his business, he'd said, and so Annabelle had told him all about herself. What she liked, what she didn't like, her favourite food (strawberry shortcake), the horses that her family stabled here. And, in turn, John had told her what he liked (black coffee), his hobbies outside of work (fishing, a common pastime on this island), how lovely it was to be out on the ocean.

"At last, the winery gardens," said John as the two of them walked among the beautiful hedges and flowers.

"Yes," said Annabelle, smiling as she looked around at her beautiful surroundings. There were statues and fountains here, too, decorating the place. And, of course, a few seats for visitors to sit and enjoy the scenery. The seats were made of white marble, just like the fountains and statues. She loved it here. "This is one of my favourite places to come, when I want to relax."

"And I can see why," said John as he fingered the delicate white petals of a flower. He plucked the bloom, presenting it to Annabelle. "For the lovely lady, the rose of Silverglade."

"Oh my," said Annabelle, taking the rose and inhaling its sweet scent. "This was so thoughtful of you, John."

John smiled at her, looking truly happy, and Annabelle allowed herself to take his hand as they continued on their stroll through the gardens. Nobody would see them here, after all, the gardeners weren't working in this section at the moment.

It was in this same spot a few weeks later that John and Annabelle shared their first kiss. It was a tender, almost hesitant thing, Annabelle afraid of the scandal if anyone were to see or find out. But John kissed her so tenderly, his hand gently toying with a curl of her pale brown hair. One would expect her to have blonde hair, being an heiress, but that was simply not the case.

"Marry me, Annabelle," John whispered. Annabelle's heart thundered.

"But John, we have only just met, it is improper," said Annabelle. John kissed her again, his lips brushing hers so gently. Almost whisper-soft.

"Then say that you will marry me when sufficient time has passed," said John. Annabelle nodded, closing her eyes and smiling as joy thrilled through her. John was a wealthy man, yes, and he'd spoken to her first because of his interest in her. But he wasn't after her money or prestige, which was her main concern. She could be happy with John. Trust him, even.

They were wed in the church in Golden Hills Valley, golden leaves decorating the ground despite the best efforts of the priest to keep the leaves out. The cursed hill behind them was, admittedly, not a good omen for a wedding day, but Annabelle had wanted her wedding to be bright and beautiful. As bright as John made her feel.

But then.

Annabelle overheard John talking one night about strange things. Occult things. And she saw the sigil of a kraken. She may not believe in magic, but she'd heard enough about the Cult of Garnok to keep well away. She ordered him to leave and to never come back. Despite how much it hurt, despite how her heart ached and tears poured down her face, she simply could not live with someone who was a member of that cult. They killed people, it was said, sacrificing them to a being known as Garnok. And so she hardened her heart, closed herself off to him, threw herself into learning all that she could about the wine-making business.

At her next birthday, Annabelle felt more miserable than ever before. Her stomach was in knots, and not just from the nerves. There was no party this year. She was unwell, her parents told everyone. And yes, Annabelle supposed, she was unwell. Her belly was round with the spawn of a monster, after all. One could not get more unwell than that. Even if it weren't for her family wanting to keep their shameful, pregnant daughter indoors, though, Annabelle still would not have been able to move much. At this late stage of her pregnancy, she couldn't do much more than waddle. Her stomach was simply too large.

"Don't worry, my son," Annabelle whispered, stroking her hand over her stomach as tears stung her eyes. She could feel him moving inside her all the time now. The doctors had told her that she didn't have many days left. Just a few more days until... until she was forced to give up her son. For the good of her family's image. "You'll go to a good family, I promise. We have already picked them out. The Moorlands. I've met them, they're a lovely couple." Tears blurred her vision now, and she curled onto her side, her heart breaking all over again. She didn't want to give up her son. But keeping him would mean that she would be a single mother, something to be pitied. Her child couldn't even be counted as a Silverglade, he would have the surname of his adoptive family. And yes, the Moorlands were so lovely, but...

But it just wouldn't be the same. Annabelle would never know her son. She had to forget about him, just like she'd forgotten (or tried to) about her ex-husband. It was better this way, she knew. But knowing that couldn't stop the pain. Nothing could stop the pain. Unless she could turn back time and tell herself not to accept John's advances. No matter how sweet he was.


End file.
